Grant Abstract

Abstract: DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application requests partial support for the 16th Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Summer Research Conference on Retinoids to be held at the Snowmass Resort in Snowmass, Colorado on June 5-12, 2012. This bi-annual research conference has been very well attended (ranging from 100 to 200 attendees over the past 25 years) and remains the sole major national and international conference that addresses the full spectrum of retinoid biology. Our understanding of the mechanisms of action and the biological functions of retinoids has increased rapidly over the last two decades. Nevertheless, there is much that still needs to be learned regarding retinoid actions in both normal human physiology and pathophysiology. To meet this need for information, there is a great deal of ongoing research activity focused on the retinoids, much of it supported by the NIH (the NIH CRISP database indicates that there are currently 284 funded NIH applications involving retinoid biology). The 2012 conference will consist of a plenary lecture, platform presentations and poster sessions that will allow for the exchange of new research findings amongst scientific attendees. The main topics to be addressed at the conference include: (1) retinoid chemistry; (2) retinoid & carotenoid metabolizing enzymes; (3) retinoid receptors; (4) genomic actions of retinoids; (5) retinoid homeostasis & signaling; (6) retinoids in development & immunity; (7) retinoids in cancer & control of differentiation; (8) retinoids in metabolic disease; and (9) retinoids in the eye. The overall goal of the proposed conference on retinoids is to bring together a group of investigators (including senior scientists, mid-career scientists, junior scientists, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students) who work in diverse disciplines (as biochemists, molecular biologists, nutritional scientists, cancer researchers, developmental biologists, vision researchers, cell biologists, biophysicists, structural biologists, immunologists, chemists, and clinicians) to present and discuss their newest research finding that share a common focus on the retinoids. This conference will provide a forum for the critical review of recent research and for the development of new research ideas and collaborations. This will stimulate new investigations that in time will provide needed insight into the essential actions of retinoids in preventing disease and maintaining health. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Retinoids, the active forms of vitamin A, have wide ranging effects on many aspects of human health including vision, embryonic development, immunity, and differentiation of diverse cell types. Retinoids are important therapeutics for skin disorders and cancer, and they are involved in diabetes and obesity and certain ocular diseases. The bi-annual FASEB Summer Research Conference on Retinoids provides the sole major national and international forum that addresses the full spectrum of retinoid biology. Its goal is to stimulate scientific exchange and new investigations that will provide needed insights into the roles of retinoids in disease prevention and treatment.